Google and Meta delay Red Sea cable laying due to security threats

The laying of several underwater internet cables through the Red Sea has not yet been completed according to plan, as political tensions and security threats have made this route more dangerous and difficult for commercial vessels, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.

Details

Meta Platforms Inc.'s 2020 plans for the 45,000-kilometer (28,000-mile) 2Africa subsea cable system included a map showing how it would encircle the African continent, providing vital high-speed connectivity. The company and its partners are ready to announce the project's completion, but a significant portion running through the Red Sea remains unfinished five years later.

The southern segment of 2Africa in the Red Sea has not yet been built due to "a number of operational factors, regulatory challenges, and geopolitical risks," said a representative for Meta, which leads the consortium of telecommunications companies developing the cable. Other consortium members did not respond to requests for comment.

A representative for Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., said that work in the region to lay the Google-backed Blue-Raman cable has also been delayed, without providing further details.

Other cables not yet launched through the Red Sea include India-Europe-Xpress, Sea-Me-We 6, and Africa-1. Representatives of the telecommunications companies involved in laying these cables either declined or did not respond to requests for comment.

Additionally

According to media reports, physical fiber optic cables laid on the seabed are the fastest and most popular way to transmit internet data between continents. It is estimated that over 400 cables carry more than 95% of the world's internet traffic. Damage caused by weather conditions or vessels can lead to large-scale internet outages, especially in regions with low internet connectivity.

The Red Sea has historically been the most direct and economical route for internet communications connecting Europe with Asia and Africa. However, construction is complicated by its status as a conflict zone and the delicate negotiations that cable operators must undertake to obtain permits.

Repeated missile attacks on the strait over the past two years by Iranian-backed Houthis, whom the US and its allies consider a terrorist organization, have forced cargo ships to make long detours and disrupted the operations of specialized vessels laying or repairing cables.

These disruptions limit access to much-needed broadband internet in underserved countries, leading to higher prices and slower internet speeds for consumers.

The delays also cause financial losses for cable network owners and investors who have already paid suppliers for installation.

"Not only are they unable to monetize their investments by transmitting data over these cables, but they are also forced to acquire capacity on alternative cables to meet their short-term needs," said Alan Mauldin, research director at Telegeography, a telecommunications data company.

The owner of the Irish company Aqua Comms, which specializes in underwater fiber optic cables, sold the company at a discount in January, citing problems including "an indefinite delay" with EMIC-1, part of the 2Africa cable, "due to ongoing conflicts in the Red Sea."